Garment presser and stretcher.



J. P. PADDINGTON.

GARMENT PRESSER AND STRETGHER.

APPLIOATIOH FILED 001211, 1910.

Patented July 18, 1911.

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UNTTE 3' AES AT r FFICE.

JOHN P. PADDINGTON, OF NEW YGRK, N. Y.

GARMENT PREfiSER AND STRE'IGHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 11, 191.0.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN P. PADDINGTON, a subject of the Emperor of Austria-Hun gary, and a resident of New York, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Garment Presser-s and Stretchers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates more particularly to a device for pressing and stretching trou sers.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient device in which the trousers or other garments may be readily placed in position for pressing and the device so constructed that parts thereof may be made to clamp and hold the garment in position to form creases and in such a way as to overcome many of the objections to devices of this kind as ordinarily constructed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient device in which the trousers may be properly stretched before pressing thesame so that a better pressing effect may be secured.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device which may be compactly folded whether or not it contains the trousers or other garments in order that the said device may be carried in a satchel or packed conveniently for transportation or for other purposes.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device which may be cheaply and easily made and assembled, and to provide a device in which an effective fastener and locking means is provided for holding the members or sections of the device in pressing position.

With these and other object in view, the invention will be hereinafter more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and will then be pointed out in the claims at the end of the description.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of one form of device embodying my invention in its extended position. Fig. 2 is an end view. Fig. 3 is an edge or side view showing the clasp or clamping means for holding the several members or parts of the device in position. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 except that the trousers are in position preparatory to the final clamping, and shows how the members are held together to adapt the same to be folded for transportation or other purposes. Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line V-V of Fig. 1, showing one form of holding means which prevents the device from collapsing or folding. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of the device showing one of the clasps or holding devices in elevation; and Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 except that slightly different means is provided for holding the locking device or means in position.

The device or presser may be made of any suitable material and of any thickness, and may be variously constructed to adapt it for the different purposes for which it may be used. As shown the device comprises a rear member 10 and a front member 11. The

rear member comprises two sections 12 and 13 and these sections are hinged or pivoted together, as at 14, to adapt the rear member 10 to fold slightly forward for a purpose to be presently described and as shown in Fig. 4., or the same may be folded inward so that the section 12 may rest upon the section 13 when it is desired that the device be made into a compact package for transportation or similar purposes. The front member 11 comprises a plurality of sections or wings which may vary in number as desired. There are four wings shown as 15, 16, 17 and 18, and each of these parts are pivoted or hinged, as at 19, Figs. 1 and 2, at one of their edges to the sections 12 and 13 of the member 10. The section 12 has the wings 15 and 16 hinged thereto at one edge, and the section 13 has the wings 17 and 18 hinged or pivoted thereto so that when the rear memher is folded the wings 15 to 18 will be also folded with the sections 12 and 13 to which they are hinged.

The sections and wings of the presser may be made of wood of any desirable thick ness and the wood may be made so that it will spring or yield when the trousers or garment is in position and thereby secure a more effective pressing effect and the vertical edge of each of the sections and wings may be providedwith strips 20 at one edge and strips 21 at the other edge. These strips may be of any suitable shape and be angular in form to serve to strengthen the edges of the device. The sections 12 and 13 open with respect to each other in a book-like way and each of the wings 15 to 18 serves as a leaf or pressing element and is adapted to open outward as shown in Fig. 4 to adapt the trousers or other garment to be placed upon the member 10 before the wings 15 to 18 are folded over upon the garment to clamp the same between the members 10 and 11. The garment is placed in the presser with the wings 16 and 17 thrown in an open position, as shown in Fig. 4, and the sections 12 and 13 of the member 10 move inward so that when the members are placed in position the trousers which have been clamped between the members 15 and 18 will be stretched somewhat when the said sections 12 and 13 are brought into alinement and the device is in its extended position after which the wings 16 and 17 are folded over to the position shown in Figs. 1 to 3.

A clip or locking device 22, Figs. 1 and 5, is secured to the strengthening strip 20 of the wing 16 so as to be movable therewith, and in the strip 20 of the wing 17 is an opening 23 which is adapted to be engaged by the inturned or angular end 24 of the clip or locking device 22, the wing 17 being cut away adjacent to said opening to permit the end 24 to enter the same. In this posi tion the sections 12 and 13 are locked against any folding movement through the hinges 14. As will be seen when the wing 16 'is moved on its hinges 19 away from the section 12 it will disengage the catch 22 from the opening 23 and in this position the sections 12 and 13 may be folded inward slightly as shown in Fig. 4 or the said sections 12 and 13 with the sections hinged thereto may be folded rearward to make a compact package the edges of the sections 12 and 13 adjacent to the hinge 14 being rounded, as at 25, to prevent injury to the garment 'in case the garment is still held by the device while the device is being collapsed.

To lock and positively hold the wings and sections of the device together to press the garment, any suitable means may be employed. As one means, I provide a slidingly held clasp 26 one for each of the wings 15, 16, 17 and 18. These clasps or locking elements may be bar-like in form having their body portions 27 provided with a plurality of slots 28 through each of which passes a screw 29 and on one end of said body portion may be a fingering portion 30 by which the locking device may be moved lengthwise of the member 10. At or near each end of the body portion 27 is a hook or engaging part 31 having an end portion 32 the inner edge 33 of whlch may 1ncl1ne so as to form a cam-like edge, and thls overhanging portlon is adapted to engage PFOJGCt-lng part-s or lugs 34 on each of the Wings 15 to 18.. These lugs or parts 34 may be in the form of posts having cam edge or inclined parts and may be separate from the strips 21 of the wings 15 to 18 and held thereto or may be formed integra therewith as desired, and project outward far enough to permit the engaging ends 32 to slide over and force the wings 15 to 18 toward the sections 12 and 13 of the member 10 with sufficient force to properly clamp and hold the trousers or garment between the same, and as soon as the elasps or locking elements are moved in the opposite direction away from the projecting lugs 34 the wings 15 to 18 may be moved on their hinges to permit the garment or the trousers to be removed from the device, the inclined parts of the overhanging portion and of the lugs serving as a better means to force the members together.

In Fig. 7 the construction is substantially the same as in Fig. 6 except that instead of the screws 29 and the angularly formed strips 20 and 21, straight strips 36 may be provided along the edges of the sections and stamped or formed therefrom are lips 37 which may be bent to engage the outer surface of the clasps 26 to hold the same slidably to the sections of the member 10, and instead of the lugs or projections 34- the strips 37 may be straight instead of angular and formed integral therewith are lugs or projecting parts 38 which are adapted to be engaged by the inner edges 33 of the end portions 32.

It will be understood that instead of the various parts being made of wood, they may be made of any other material, and if desired the sections may be entirely covered or may be covered on their inner or pressing surfaces with suitable fabric for the purpose of retaining moisture to press the garment. though ordinarily simply the sponging of the garment before pressing is all that is necessary. It will be further understood that means may be provided at the lower end of the device to pern'iit the same to be hung from a suitable support.

From the foregoing it will be seen that sim ple and efiicient means are provided whercby a garment may be effectively pressed; that a simple and efficient device is provided whereby the garment may be stretched preparatory to pressing; that said device may be folded to form a compact package for transportation or other purposes; that simple means is provided for holding the parts or members of the device in pressing position; and that said device may be cheaply and easily made and assembled.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A garment presser and stretcher comprising two sections hinged together at their ends, a pair of wings hinged to one of said sections along one side edge to swing in the same plane independently of each other to close on the section, a pair of wings hinged to the other said section along one side edge, to swing in the same plane'dndependently of each other to close on the attached section, and means for locking said wings closed upon their attached sections.

2. A garment presser and stretcher comprising two sections hinged together at their ends, a pair of wings hinged to one of said sections along one side edge to swing independently of each other to close on the section, the other said section also having a pair of wings hinged thereto along one side edge, to swing independently of each other to close on the attached section, means for locking said wings upon their attached section, the adjacent Wings hinged to the respective sections having their side edges brought into engagement, and means arranged to hold the said two sections in eX- tended position.

3. A garment presser and stretcher comprising two sections hinged together at their ends, a pair of wings hinged to one of said sections along one side edge to swing independently of each other to close on the section, a pair of wings hinged to the other said section along one side edge, to swing independently of each other to close on the attached section, means for locking said wings closed upon their sections, the adjacent wings hinged to the respective sections having their side edges brought into engagement in the extended position of the device, said hinged sections being arranged to fold back flat upon themselves with the wings engaging their outer faces.

This specification signed and witnessed this 8th day of October A. D. 1910.

JOHN P. PADDINGTON. lVitnesses W. A. TOWNER, Jr., C. BARTELS.

Copies of this'patent may be btained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

